Joseph V. Medina

Infobox Military Person
name= Joseph V. Medina
born= birth year and age|1953
died=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=


caption= Brigadier General Joseph V. Medina First Marine to command a Navy Flotilla
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United States United States of America
branch=
serviceyears= 1972 - present
rank=
commands=3rd Battalion 2nd Marines 3rd Marine Regiment Expeditionary Strike Group Three MCB Camp Smedley D. Butler 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade 3rd Marine Division
unit=
battles=Kosovo War Operation Iraqi Freedom
awards= Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Defense Meritorious Service Medal
laterwork=
Brigadier General Joseph V. Medina (born c. 1953) is a United States Marine Corps General whose career has taken him from an initial posting leading a rifle platoon to head of the contingency plans branch overseeing NATO's Kosovo operation. On November 2003, Medina took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Three. This event marked the first time in history that a United States Marine Corps officer took command of a Naval flotilla.cite web|accessdate=2007-03-07
url=http://www.defendamerica.mil/profiles/jun2004/pr0601004a.html
title=U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph V. Medina: Marine General Leads Strike Group into History
author=Plotts, LCPL Jared
date=June 2004
work=DefendAmerica News
publisher=U.S. Department of Defense] In April 2007, BGen Medina took command of the 3rd Marine Division.

Biography

Education

Medina attended the United States Naval Academy where he was commissioned a second lieutenant upon his graduation in 1976. His academic accomplishments include a Bachelor of Science (Physics) and a Master of Science (Systems Management) degrees from the University of Southern California.

Medina also attended the Amphibious Warfare School, where he was an honor graduate in 1985, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College (Distinguished Graduate, 1992), and graduated in 1998 from the NATO Defence College.cite web|accessdate=
url=http://www.usmc.mil/genbios2.nsf/biographies/DA9C6F9E36A7015885256D730013425D?opendocument
title=Official Biography for Joseph V. Medina
date=May 31, 2005
publisher=Headquarters Marine Corps]

Early assignments

Medina's earlier career assignments included the following: Rifle Platoon Commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines; Headquarters Company Commander, 5th Marine Regiment; Company Commander, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines; Company Commander, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines; Company Commander, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines; and commander of two Basic School (TBS) companies and an Officer Candidate School (OCS) company.

Commands

In May 1995, he assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. The battalion was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in Support of JTF-160 for Operation SEA SIGNAL in 1995, and to Okinawa, Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program in 1996, during his tour as battalion commander. In February 1997, he was reassigned as the Executive Officer of the 2nd Marine Regiment.

In February 1998 he was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. European Command where he was assigned as Contingency Plans Branch Chief, J3 Directorate. Median simultaneously served as Chief, Kosovo Plans Group for Operation Noble Anvil, Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian from August 1998 until June 1999 as a direct result of the Kosovo Crisis. In June 1999 he was promoted to Colonel and assigned as the Chief, Operational Plans Division (J35), Operations Directorate.

Among Medina's other commands was the G-3, Enlisted Recruiting Operations & Plans at the Marine Corps Recruiting Command at Quantico, Virginia. He has served as Marine Officer Instructor/Associate Professor of Naval Science at Penn State University.cite web|accessdate=2007-03-07
url=http://www.defendamerica.mil/profiles/jun2004/pr0601004a.html
title=U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph V. Medina: Marine General Leads Strike Group into History
author=LCpl Jared Plotts
date=June 2004
work=DefendAmerica News
publisher=U.S. Department of Defense]

Commander of the Belleau Wood Expeditionary Strike Group

In 2001, Medina was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed command of the newly-established Expeditionary Strike Group Three (ESG-3) in San Diego, California, which is an integral part of United States Navy's Third Fleet. Medina became the first Marine general ever assigned commander of naval ships. On June 10, 2004, Medina oversaw the manning and equipping of ESG-3. From his flagship, the USS|Belleau Wood|LHA-3 , he led 4,000 Marines and sailors into Pearl Harbor for five days of training. He then led the Belleau Wood Strike Group (BWDESG) through a 6-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was assigned as Commander Task Force 58. Their mission was to detect, identify, and disrupt international terrorist organizations and foreign fighters.

Currently

On July 8, 2005, Medina was named Commanding General Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler and Deputy Commander, Marine Corps Bases, Japan. On September 6, 2007, Medina handed over responsibilities as commander of Marine Corps Base Camp Butler to Brig. Gen. Mary Ann Krusa-Dossin.cite web|accessdate=2007-03-07
url=http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/public%20affairs%20info/archive%20news%20pages/2006/060915-basecoc.html
title=Marine Corps Base welcomes new commander
date=September 15, 2006
author=Rogers, LCPL David
work=Okinawa Marine
publisher=United States Marine Corps]

On April 27, 2007, BGen. Mastin M. Robeson passed on the command of the 3rd Marine Division to Medina in a ceremony held at Camp Courtney in Okinawa.cite web|accessdate=2007-05-02
url=http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2007/070427-divcoc.html
title=3rd Marine Division welcomes new commander
author=Peterson, LCPL Bryan A.
date=April 27, 2007
work=Okinawa Marine |publisher=United States Marine Corps]

While briefly serving as Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Division, Medina remained dual-hatted as Deputy Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Brig. Gen. Medina relinquished command of the 3rd Marine Division on June 11, 2007 to Major General Robert B. Neller.cite web
accessdate=2007-10-30
url=http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/public%20affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2007/070615-neller.html
title=Neller takes charge of 'Fighting Third'
author=Blodgett, LCPL Corey A.|date=June 15, 2007
work=Okinawa Marine |publisher=United States Marine Corps]

As of May 2007, Medina is one of four Hispanics to hold the rank of Brigadier General and above in the United States Marine Corps. The other three are Major General William D. Catto, Commanding General Marine Corps Systems Command, Brigadier General Angela Salinas,Chief of Staff Marine Corps Recruiting Command and the first Hispanic female to obtain a general rank in the Marines, and Brigadier General David C. Garza, Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Central Command.cite web|accessdate=2007-03-07
url=http://www.hispanicengineer.com/artman/publish/printer_202.shtml
title=Top Hispanics in the U.S. Military: Celebrating Commitment to Honor, Duty and Country
author= Phillips, Bruce E.
date=January 18, 2007
work=Hispanic Engineer] Medina who was featured on "Hispanic Business Magazine" on October 2006 as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States, is an advocate of Hispanic recruitment in the Marine Corps and has been quoted as saying:cite web|accessdate=2007-03-07
url=http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=46457&cat=Magazine&more=/magazine/
title=100 Influentials List 2006
work=Hispanic Business Magazine
date=October 2006]

:"We understand the importance of diversity in the Marine Corps," said the senior ranking Hispanic in the Marine Corps. "That's why the Marine Corps is so strong... we are able to embrace all different elements of society to make the Corps a strong organization."cite web
accessdate=2007-03-07
url=http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,usmc1_050205.00.html?ESRC=marinenews.RSS
title=Marines Spread Message of Opportunity to Hispanic Community
author=Ayalin, SSgt Marc
date=May 2, 2005
work=Marine Corps News]

Awards and decorations

Brigadier General Medina's personal decorations include:
*
*
* with a Gold Star,
*
* with two Gold Stars,
*
* with two Gold Stars
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

ee also

References

*cite web|accessdate=2007-03-07
url=https://slsp.manpower.usmc.mil/GOSA/biographies/rptBiography.asp?PERSON_ID=124&PERSON_TYPE=General
title=Official Biography for Joseph V. Medina
date=July 17, 2007
publisher=United States Marine Corps

External links

* [http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhs040.html U.S. Marines Donate Gifts]
* [http://www.defendamerica.mil/archive/2004-06/20040610pm2.html U.S. Dept. of Defense]